when life gives you lemons...make cake!

I was very impressed when I stepped out the back garden this weekend and saw our little lemon tree. Such perfectly shaped, happy, vibrant yellow lemons, and rather generously loaded for the small wee thing. It called for some baking so lemon syrup cake became our weekend treat.

I doubled the recipe below and made two small cakes, but you could just double it and make one big one - especially if you have to share it.

Recipe: Lemon syrup yoghurt cake

125 grams softened butter

1 1/4 cups caster sugar

2 lemons, rind grated and juiced

2 eggs

3/4 cup natural yoghurt

1 1/3 cups self raising flour

1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees and line a 20cm cake tin.

2. Cream butter, 3/4 cup sugar and lemon rind until pale. 

3. Add in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. 

4. Sift in flour and stir gently until combined.

5. Place mixture in to the tin and bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean. 

6. Combine remaining 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup lemon juice in to a pot and bring to the boil on a medium heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 minutes until sugar has dissolved. 

7. Pour the lemon and sugar syrup over the warm cake - I started with half and left to settle for 5 minutes before adding the remaining syrup. 

8. Let it cool and then eat...although it does taste pretty awesome warm too:)

Back to life, back to reality...

Apologies for such a long break since my last post, the reality of the real world hit. I have been working full-time for five weeks now, but I have to say I am enjoying the challenge and the satisfaction of feeling like you're contributing to something again.

The other reality is you must fit the rest of you life in to 'out of work' hours. This means a lot less time for baking, eating, socializing and going on adventures...One day I hope to perfect the concept of the work/life balance, but for now I think I am stuck on the seesaw.

 Anyway, on to more important things...

Something yummy...

Tamarillos are currently in season and our household can't get enough of them! They are so delicious. Their flavour really packs a punch and its followed by a subtle sweetness. To accentuate their sweetness I decided to use them instead of plums on top of Annabel Langbein's Vanilla Plum cake. I was a little worried about the juice running in to the cake but they turned out perfect.

Something not so yummy...

How disappointed was I when I tried the new Whittakers L&P chocolate bar! I usually love Whittakers but they really have missed the mark here.

I picked it up at the petrol station before battling the Friday night traffic on the Southern motorway. Oh what a bad choice! All you can taste is fake lemon essence - like the one you can buy at the supermarket. The only reason I ate the whole thing was because it was the only edible thing I had in the car, and after an hour on the road and only half way home I got bored.

The only positive thing I can say is that the popping candy is great fun. In my opinion though you're better off buying a Cadbury creations bar, at least it would be fun and taste good too. 

eating...'little and friday' treats & fabric browsing at Martha's

Today I had the pleasure of experiencing 'little and friday' and Martha's Furnishing Fabrics in New Market. 'Little and friday' have the most beautiful food, sweet or savory it is hard to decide. You actually want a few people in front of you to give you time to consider your options thoroughly before reaching the counter. 

I was looking for tonights dinner so I ended up with a blue cheese, beetroot and spinach quiche, an onion jam quiche, a chunky slab of chocolate and meringue yum yum slice, and a rhubarb and fig tart. Yum! 

Next time I have my eye on their old fashioned jam donuts and about ten other items of yumminess...

'Little and friday' sits inside Martha's Furnishing Fabrics and oh what fabrics! They have rolls and rolls of fabric in all colours and textures. Your imagination runs wild with ideas on how you could use each and every one. If only I had some basic sewing skills...

Martha's Furnishing Fabrics | No.12 Melrose street, Newmarket 

Opening Hours: Monday - Friday: 10am - 5pm | Saturday: 10am - 4pm | Sunday: 10am - 4pm 

home...and eating blueberry cake with cream cheese frosting

After a lot of packing and travelling I am now home sweet home and it's time for some real baking. Super excited I again live in a home with an oven...oh the possibilities! 

One thing that I began to appreciate while away is New Zealands' cafe and restaurant culture. We really are spoilt for choice when it comes to quality food and beverages. On my first cafe outing since being home we went to six forty six in Whangamata. I loved how the menu was written on huge brown paper rolls that were fixed to the walls. It gave you the feeling it wouldn't be the same the next time you visited. They had a large variety of choices from a tasty Thai green curry (Mum's choice) to yummy blueberry pancakes with lemon maple syrup and cream (My choice). 

I enjoyed my pancakes and it got me thinking about blueberries and a cupcake recipe I had been wanting to try in cake form. So today I got to work and am happy with the results - Soft cake, juicy blueberries and sweet cream cheese icing...what's not to love!

Recipe: Blueberry Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

60 grams butter (At room temperature) 

3/4 cup sugar 

2 large eggs 

1/3 cup sour cream  

1/4 cup vegetable oil 

1 tablespoon vanilla extract (I use the one with the seeds in because it looks pretty)

1 3/4 cups flour 

1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 

1/2 teaspoon baking soda 

1/2 teaspoon salt 

2/3 cup milk 

1 cup blueberries (I used frozen - just rinse and dry before putting in the mixture)

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C and line 2 small round cake tins.

2. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. 

3. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. 

4. Beat in the sour cream, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. 

5. Gradually add in the cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. 

6. Stir in milk until batter is smooth. 

7. Mix in the blueberries.

8. Split the mixture between your 2 cake tins and bake for 20-30 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean when pricked in to the centre. 

9. Remove from the oven, transfer cakes to a cooling rack and allow to cool to room temperature before frosting.

Cream Cheese Frosting

230 grams cream cheese (At room temperature) 

60 grams unsalted butter (At room temperature)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (Again with the seeds in)
3 cups icing sugar

1. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the cream cheese and butter until smooth.

2. Beat in the vanilla and icing sugar. If it is too soft, add more icing sugar until it reaches a spreadable consistency. Or, if it is too stiff, add a little milk until it reaches a spreadable consistency.

3. Once the cakes are cool, spread frosting on top of one of the cakes. Place the second cake on top of the frosting. Continue to frost the rest of the cake as desired and decorate with a few fresh berries.

heaven...The Chocolate Line by Dominique Persoone

After 11 months in Belgium I can not believe I only discovered The Chocolate Line two weeks before I am due to depart. 

What is The Chocolate Line you ask?...To say The Chocolate Line is just a chocolate shop is a huge understatement. It is founded by famous "shock-o-latier" Dominique Persoone and is 1 of just 3 chocolate shops in the Michelin Guide. The quality and variety of chocolates is out of this world. Edward Vanhoutte sums up the experience pretty well below. 

"Surprise yourself with exciting flavour contrasts, subtle aromas, and long undertones. Indulge your palette of flavours, broaden your chocolate experience and shock your expectations. Because nothing is what it seems." 

And this is exactly what we did. We decided to share a mixed box as the variety was just too overwhelming on the first visit. I have to say the only evidence I have of this is the empty box and menu guide. The excitement of each little chocolate got the better of me and my camera was forgotten. Luckily their website was well stocked with images of each tasty delight. I do not want to bore you with a description of each one so I have picked 3...

Love at first sight: "Apero"

It's bright green shell caught my eye immediately and once I had read the description I was sold. But when I bit into it the flavour blew all of my expectations. Sharp passion fruit and lime, sweet white chocolate and a naughty splash of vodka...what more could a girl ask for?

Surprising delight: "Italiaanse Javanais"

While these traditional Italian flavours are not what you would usually associate with chocolate, the

balance was just right and surprisingly delicious. The initial tang of the sun-dried tomato and olives is unusual to start with, but then you are left with the sweetness of the chocolate and basil and wondering why you had never thought to put this combination together before. 

On the list for next time: "Cebolla"

I think purely due to my upbringing this is a must for next time. What Onion farmers daughter could resist trying this intriguing combination? 

Yes that's right there will be a next time! I will definitely be squeezing in another visit to Brugge for another fix during my last week here. We will see if any last long enough to make it in to my suitcase...

Image source: Individual chocolate images from The Chocolate Line website. 

discovering...Barcelona!

Barcelona is a modern city with beautiful tree lined streets and parks at every other turn. The waterfront boardwalk is well equipped for the summer months. The beautiful white sand shoreline is packed with cafes and restaurants overlooking the calm, blue ocean. 

The city is also rich in architecture. The works of Antoni Gaudi, stand out from the rest and have become attractions in their own right. The Sagrada Familia is definitely one to visit. While still under construction, the detail on the outside is amazing and the inside is breath taking. Every little detail has a meaning and place within the design. A lot of the inspiration for the design was taken from nature and the white interior along with the stained glass windows give the place a real magical feel.  

Tibidabo Mountain which is home to an amusement park, a telecommunications tower, and the Temple de Sagrat Cor, is visible from most of the city. It is possible to walk the whole way up, but we walked up half way and then took the funicular (small and steep rail car) the rest of the way. The amusement park on the church grounds has a dozen rides and is the oldest in Barcelona. We didn't try out the park but rather enjoyed the view and the sunshine. 

Living with a football fan we could not go past the Camp Nou stadium without a look. It is a huge stadium and home to the famous Barcelona Football Club. It was not the most impressive stadium I have visited, but when it is full on game day I'm sure the atmosphere would be like no other. 

Guell Park was also designed by Gaudi. The entrance is very crowded, but once you get up higher in to the park it is a nice place to take a relaxing walk through the trees and enjoy the views of the city. 

At night there is no shortage of restaurants to try. Most offering their variation on the classic tapas and paella. On our first night we received such large portions of paella that we couldn't look at it for the rest of the trip! Sadly I felt that the selection was a little limited, maybe due to being such a touristy place. Saying that the sangria was always tasty and we got to try some dishes we had not tried before which is part of the fun of being somewhere new. 

I am so glad we got to visit Barcelona before our return to New Zealand. It is a beautiful city without too much hustle and bustle. I would love the opportunity to go back to Spain one day and explore what else the country has to offer.

discovering...Berlin!

Berlin is an amazing city. Rich in history, sadness, joy and new beginnings...

On our first day we joined a tour of the Sachsenhausen Concentration Camp. A sobering and airy experience, especially as temperatures were around freezing point. It was hard to imagine how people survived the winter with the little clothing they were provided. More than 200,000 people were imprisoned in the camp between 1936 and 1945. At first the prisoners were mostly political opponents of the Nazi regime, but were later joined by members of groups defined by the National Socialists as racially or biologically inferior. The green building below was the entrance to the camp. The entrance gate including the phrase "Arbeit macht frei" like many other Nazi camps of the time. A German phrase meaning "labour makes (you) free". 

We also visited the impressive Brandenburg Gate. Many important events in Berlin's history happened here, the National Socialists marched through the Brandenburg Gate in January 1933 to mark the taking over of power. In August 1961 the gate was within the restricted area of the Berlin Wall and became the symbol of the division of Europe during the Cold War. After the overrunning of the border crossings in 1989 the gate was soon opened again. Now it stands as a symbol of reunited Germany.  

Small parts of the well known Berlin Wall crossing point, Checkpoint Charlie still remains. Although it has become a big tourist hub and is hard to imagine what it once was, especially with Mc Donalds right next door! We also climbed the victory column, which would have given a great view of the city had it been a clear day. 

 

Of course we could not go all the way to Berlin and not visit part of the Berlin Wall. The Gallery section of the wall was really impressive. It consists of paintings by artists from all over the world, painted in 1990 on the east side. It is like it is there as a reminder of what Berlin once was and the celebration of freedom they now possess.

The food in Berlin was amazing. Right outside our hotel was the Easter market which contained stalls full of German specialties including Pork and sauerkraut, sausages and soft pretzels. We also tried out their international cuisine at Tuans Hütte Thai Restaurant and were blown away...delicious thai curries! 

Berlin is definitely one of my top five favorite cities I have visited in Europe - highly recommend!